C1686. Even if the mockery fades. (1)
A blade emitting a sinister glow sank into the chest with a horrifying sound.
"Argh…!"
"Sajae!"
Even in the darkness, the abundant blood splattering in the air was clearly visible.
He wished he couldn't see it so clearly, but his keen trained vision allowed him to distinguish the dying eyes in the darkness.
"Uh… Ugh…"
Pain and sorrow were reflected on the faces of those watching their Sahyung fall. However, along with the sadness, there was unmistakable fear.
"Sa… Sajae…"
A disciple of the Wudang Sect extended his hand toward the one who had fallen in the distance, tears blurring his vision.
Just as he was about to take a step forward, someone grabbed him by the neck as if to bite him.
"Get a grip!"
"S-Sasuk?"
"Look ahead! Don’t take your eyes off the enemy!"
"B-but…"
"Fool! Do you want to die too?"
"Ugh…"
Mu Jin, covered in blood from head to toe, had an eye that shone with terrifying intensity.
"The dead are dead. If you have time to mourn, focus on surviving. Right now, tears for the dead are a useless luxury."
It was too harsh to come from a Taoist. But it was the only thing he could say.
"Understood?"
Roaring again, the Sajae nodded, terrified. Mu Jin pushed him behind and raised his sword.
The view of the battlefield in front of him was disheartening.
Enemies everywhere. No matter how many they killed, it seemed there were always more enemies.
And under his feet, the bodies of his mountain comrades were trampled.
Half, maybe more, had died.
They had sacrificed many lives to turn an even greater number of enemies into vengeful spirits… Could they say those deaths had any value?
Grief for the dead? Sorrow for the tragic deaths?
Undoubtedly, some were burning with those feelings even now.
But Mu Jin's mind was full of the desire to protect the living, even if it was just one more.
That sense of urgency drove Mu Jin.
"Sasuk! Ahead!"
Suddenly, he heard an urgent voice, and a spear flew towards his side.
Mu Jin tried to deflect the spear with his sword, but his movements were not as usual. At his best, he should have easily deflected the spear, but his sword only managed to hit the side of the spear.
Clang!
"Sasuk!"
The spear ended up piercing Mu Jin's side. With a scream, Mu Jin decapitated the spearman.
Splash!
Hot blood spurted from the severed neck. The enemy's blood covered the blood Mu Jin had shed. Here, there was no meaning in the blood spilled. It would soon be trampled and dirtied.
"Sasuk!"
"I'm fine!"
Mu Jin extended a hand to stop those coming to help him.
The horrible pain and overwhelming fear made him grit his teeth, but a bitter laugh escaped.
His mind was desperate, but his body couldn't keep up. Believing he could fight to the end with will alone had been a naive idea.
Looking around, he saw other Wudang Disciples, also drenched in blood, struggling to fend off enemy swords. All were clearly exhausted.
Slash!
"Sahyung!"
Even Jin Hyun was bleeding.
Normally, he would have repelled that attack without issue, but Jin Hyun was also at his limit. Everyone here had reached their limit.
The blood dripping down his forehead entered his eyes. The dark world was tinged with red. It reflected the desperate situation they were in.
"Ahhhh!"
At that moment, Mu Jin let out a wild scream and charged at the enemy before him.
Clang!
The tip of his sword pierced the enemy's neck precisely. The blade cut through flesh and bone. But the feeling was weak and blurry.
He twisted the embedded sword and cut horizontally.
His internal energy reserves were depleted, but Mu Jin gathered all the strength he had left.
Whoosh!
The burst of energy from his sword swept away the enemies.
"This man is practically dead!"
But the enemies did not retreat from his attack. The members of the Evil Faction understood Mu Jin's state better than anyone.
To sink their fangs into the cornered great hunter, the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance pounced on him.
"Mu Jin!"
Seeing the danger Mu Jin was in, Heo Gong launched a swift attack in his direction.
Clang!
For a moment, Mu Jin's sword was pushed back.
"Do you still have time to get distracted?"
"……"
Mu Jin recovered his sword.
His body was torn apart. His clothes were in tatters, and his body was filled with bruises from the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's attacks.
But the internal wounds were much more severe.
The evil qi that had penetrated Heo Gong's body through the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's power was running rampant, despite his efforts to counter it with the pure technique of the Wudang Sect.
Compared to this, the external wounds seemed insignificant.
Thousand-Faced Gentleman laughed.
"Where did all that confidence go?"
Thump!
Thousand-Faced Gentleman's hand struck the air, sending an incredible force not towards Heo Gong but towards the disciples behind him, who were desperately fighting to hold back the enemy.
Heo Gong raised his sword with all his might to block the attack, but his body twisted, leaving his back exposed. Three lines of energy shot directly at him.
Boom! Boom!
Dark red blood spurted from his tightly clenched lips.
Despite gathering all his internal energy to cushion the impact, the blow resonated through his body like a giant bell, shaking every fiber of his being.
"Cough!"
Finally, Heo Gong could no longer hold back and coughed up blood. With his trembling left hand, he tried to stop the useless flow of blood.
Whoosh!
The attacks kept coming, with the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's energy enveloping Heo Gong like a growing cloud. This time, he didn't even dare to face it and rolled on the ground to avoid the blow.
Boom!
The ground where he had stood shattered.
"Grr!"
When Heo Gong tried to get up quickly, something violently stabbed into his side.
Crack!
The impact instantly broke his ribs, and his body bounced like a ball.
The pain was so overwhelming that his mind nearly blacked out. He felt the urge to let go and give up.
But Heo Gong rejected that temptation and twisted his body.
Whoosh!
Several lines of energy passed just a hair's breadth from his body. If he had been a moment slower, he would have died on the spot.
With an uncontrolled fall, Heo Gong landed almost face-first and rolled again.
Boom!
The place where he had been broke again. The continuous attacks gave him no respite.
Managing to stand up somehow, Heo Gong pointed his sword at the Thousand-Faced Gentleman once more.
The characteristic stance of the Wudang Sect. Although he had adopted this position countless times, it now did not inspire the grandeur of such a renowned sect.
The tip of his sword trembled visibly, and his legs, which were supposed to hold him firmly, seemed about to collapse.
Thousand-Faced Gentleman watched him with a mocking smile.
"What's wrong? Weren't you acting like you could face me without a problem?"
Blood and sweat mixed and dripped from his chin. Despite his half-closed eyes, Heo Gong stared at the Thousand-Faced Gentleman.
"Young people always believe that. They think that if they become strong, they can achieve anything. That they can attain any desire."
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's face twisted. It was surprising his mask didn't come off with such an expression.
"Did you think it would be that easy?"
"……"
"Did you think you were the only one striving and desiring something? Did you believe that with your innate talent you would always be above others? Did you think sincere effort would always be rewarded?"
Each word of the Thousand-Faced Gentleman pierced and tore Heo Gong's heart.
"If you believed that, then your life has been a farce."
Thousand-Faced Gentleman slowly released his hands behind his back.
"The truth lies in the most miserable places. While you were having fun on this mountain, others were stabbing knives into people's mouths for a bite of cold rice. To survive, they licked someone's feet and betrayed their loved ones to climb up."
Thousand-Faced Gentleman smiled disdainfully.
"Do you think you can understand that?"
Boom!
Heo Gong's black and white sword energy swirled towards where the Thousand-Faced Gentleman was.
Boom!
There was a great explosion. If the Thousand-Faced Gentleman had been caught, he wouldn't have come out unscathed, but he had already retreated to the edge of the cliff.
"Huff… huff."
Heo Gong, with his trembling sword, spoke with difficulty.
"...As an excuse... it's pathetic."
Thousand-Faced Gentleman shook his head and placed his hands behind his back again.
Heo Gong was at his limit. The other Wudang Swordsmen too. He didn't need to do more; they would collapse on their own. He had seen this many times. The desperate final struggles and the inevitable end of those pushed to their limits.
They would be no different. Only...
"You talk too much."
Whoosh!
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's energy struck Heo Gong's jaw with terrifying speed.
Boom!
Like a kite with its string cut, Heo Gong flew through the air and fell to the ground.
"I promised you, didn't I? You won't die easily. Now I'm going to fulfill that promise..."
Thousand-Faced Gentleman was calmly walking towards Heo Gong when he suddenly stopped.
‘What?’
His back felt cold.
It was as if someone was targeting him.
But behind him was only a high cliff. Who could be aiming at him?
With a brief reflection, Thousand-Faced Gentleman decided to trust his instincts. He turned towards the cliff and looked down.
His eyes widened.
"...What is this?"
Incredibly, it looked like a black dragon.
A black dragon.
A dragon with sharp scales was climbing the cliff stained red with the blood of many.
When he realized those scales were swords bathed in flames, the hairs on the back of Thousand-Faced Gentleman's neck stood up.
"Mount Hua Sect?"
Involuntarily, he cursed the name. His hands, which had been relaxed, tensed tightly.